


Breaking: Attempted Kidnapping of Baby (Driver)

by cancerthecrabbo



Category: Baby Driver (2017)
Genre: Attempted Kidnapping, Gen, Head Injury, Kidnapping, Minor Character Death, Vomiting, Whump, Whumptober 2018, Whumptober: Kidnapped, for the sake of buddy and darling being nice, just a little, slightly OOC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-28 02:16:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16232168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cancerthecrabbo/pseuds/cancerthecrabbo
Summary: He’s walking back to HQ with a cardboard cup holder, which holds four piping-hot black coffees in it, in one hand.  It’s during this routine walk back that he realizes he’s being tailed by two large and hooded men.(Day 7 of Whumptober: Kidnapped)





	Breaking: Attempted Kidnapping of Baby (Driver)

**Author's Note:**

> i am so sleep deprived. i need to stop. i'm probably not gonna do inktober anymore lol.

There’s a lot of things that can ruin a kidnapping.

 

First and foremost: miscommunication.  A silent, frustrating, and above all, a persistent killer of relationships and operations (such as a kidnapping).  If one cog in the system is unaware of an order or perhaps uses the wrong word with the wrong connotation, it’s all over.  Another possible obstacle that could cause a fumble during an abduction is if the abductee is completely unwilling to be taken.  Though this is exactly the case for Baby, he cannot save himself through will alone. 

 

He’s walking back to HQ with a cardboard cup holder, which holds four piping-hot black coffees in it, in one hand.  Baby hums along to the song blaring out of his headphones, admittedly giddy after a violence-free run.  The adrenaline rush is fading at this point but he’ll just doze while Doc debriefs everyone and splits the money into stacks.  It’s during this routine walk back that he realizes he’s being tailed by two large and hooded men. 

 

Baby’s been walking the streets of Atlanta since his mother died in the accident.  He knows what they want and how they’ll try to get it; he'll never understand why anyone would go to such lengths for money.  To prevent an inconvenience that Doc wouldn’t allow, Baby calls him on the burner phone he’s supposed to throw away later.

 

“ _Why are you calling?_ ”

 

“Hey, Doc, I was wondering if you could do a house call for me.  Haven’t been feeling too good.  I’m walking down, uh, Magnolia street…”

 

“ _Understood.  I’m sending someone.  If you get killed, I won’t be dragging your corpse to the coroner.”_

The line goes dead.  Baby begins to sweat.  The hairs on his arms and back of his neck stand up.  He knows they’re picking up the pace behind him.  There's only one block left until he reaches the garage – Baby guesses whoever is coming to escort him to safety is taking too long in the elevator.  He tries to keep his breathing under control and not spiral but the panic and anxiety are twisting around in his chest, constricting his lungs.

 

The street is deserted.  Baby doesn’t have a chance in hell. 

 

One of the thugs slips his hand around Baby’s mouth and muffles his scream of surprise as the other one kicks his knee in.  The first one wraps an arm around Baby’s torso while the second one scoops up Baby’s legs with frightening speed.  He fights as well as he can and does land some hits on the men but his efforts are for naught.  They manhandle him into a van quickly and efficiently, leaving no room for Baby to wriggle too far.

 

Baby screams as loud as he can when the hand around his mouth slips.  He knows full well no one can hear him where it counts; no one in their cozy apartment is going to crack open their door because a faint voice pleads them to, not in this city.  Baby doesn’t get to scream for too long anyway because Thing Two throws a punch without restraint.  He’s out like a light.

 

* * *

 

Baby’s face aches when he wakes up.  His eye throbs along to the rhythm of his pulse.  The constant ringing in Baby's ears alerts him to the absence of his headphones.  He hopes they’re not broken, or worse, stolen by one of the meatheads that have abducted him.  Before opening his eyes, Baby realizes that he isn’t handcuffed and is, in fact, lying on a cot.  The room he’s in smells very familiar.

 

Peeling his lids open reveals darkness.  He blinks to get used to the lack of light and finds that he’s blinking up at a familiar ceiling.  Had he imagined the whole ordeal?  No, not a single hair on Baby’s head had been harmed during this last operation, but he’s familiar with what an impressive shiner feels like.  Adding to that the fact that the last thing he remembers is getting thrown in a dark and unmarked van clues him in that something isn't right.  The memory makes Baby’s heart start to race and his head feels lightheaded.  His increased heart rate clears up the grogginess, though it doesn’t completely rid him of the disorientation gripping him, and helps Baby push back the immense headache plaguing him.  He lurches off of the cot and staggers in the general direction of the door to the War Room.

 

The door slams open, light floods in, and Baby nearly pukes when the sharpness in his skull crescendos to near-unbearable levels.  Though he keeps himself from vomiting, he can’t help but crumple against the door frame. 

 

“Nice shiner, Baby.  You look like you need some help,” Buddy drawls.  “ Hold on, are you gonna throw up?”  Baby can’t answer because he’s too busy swallowing down his mac ‘n’ cheese a second time.  His eyes water from the burning in his throat.  The room tilts violently, nearly tipping him off the edge and into the darkness he’d just pried himself from. 

 

Someone does grab him before he falls – unfortunately, Baby can’t hold back the nausea anymore.  Someone else, Baby doesn't know who, is aware of this as well and is prepared with a trash bin for Baby to toss his cookies.  It must be Darling, Baby can hear her clicking her tongue in sympathy.

 

“We thought you’d slipped into a coma for a bit there,” Darling says.  He can’t tell if she’s joking or not. 

 

Baby coughs and wipes his mouth, feeling only slightly better than before.  He's no longer nauseous but the light is still stabbing into his eyes.  He fumbles around the pocket of his jacket, looking for a pair of sunglasses to cover up the vulnerability that comes with naked eye contact, and finds that he’s only wearing a shirt, pants, and a blanket.  The lack of jacket and sunglasses sets him on edge.  He wants to go back to sleep in his own bed in his own house with Joe watching TV in the next room.  Baby closes his eyes against the onslaught of exhaustion.

 

Someone taps his cheek.  “You don’t have permanent brain damage, do ya?”  It’s Buddy.  “Baby?”  He considers the question for a moment.

 

“I do.”  It’s the truth – perhaps this incident didn’t leave him with tinnitus, but the car accident did, so he technically does have permanent damage, but to his ears.  Apparently, Buddy and Darling both find this hilarious. 

 

Doc does not.  “I have to go sunset a car with three goddamn bodies in it.  Next time you’re going to be kidnapped, don’t fucking call me.”  Baby can’t pinpoint exactly where he is in the room because Buddy is still holding him up by the door and his eyes are still closed.  He can, however, hear as he strides from the room. 

 

With the absence of Doc, Baby feels he can relax further, and so he goes limp in Buddy’s arm with a sigh.  A part of Baby’s mind tells him he’s being weird and trusting with the wrong people but he’s far too tired to care at this point. 

 

“Think it’s time to put the baby down?”

 

“How long have you been waiting to say that, Darling?”

 

“What happened?”  Baby interrupts, slurring heavily.  He doesn’t think he’ll be able to sleep restfully or awaken peacefully until he gets the answer.

 

“Oh,” Darling says, “Bruce was sent down to save you.  He got there in time, though not quick enough to save you from being clobbered.  I’m not sure if he got hit by the van or shot first but either way, he’s joining your would-be kidnappers in the sunset.”  Baby pries his eyes open, horror curling in his stomach.  He looks back at Darling as she follows Buddy as he half-drags and half-carries Baby into the back room.

 

“Don’t fret, Baby, Doc was basically about to kill him out of sheer annoyance when you’d called.  He would have ended up dead either way.”  Buddy pats his back.

 

To be honest, it’s plausible.  Bruce had been new to Doc’s business – this had been his first operation.  He hadn't been as well suited to teamwork as Doc hoped.  Baby truly does think that Buddy is saying the truth and not just trying to keep him from freaking out.

 

Baby feels more comfortable now that he knows he isn’t hallucinating.  He settles into the cot that Buddy sets him down on.  Lying down, he curls up on his side and wraps the blanket tighter around himself.  Baby closes his eyes.  Just as he’s drifting off, someone places his iPod in his limp hand.  Baby can feel his headphones coiled around it and he exhales.


End file.
